I got a green Sakura and a purple Markal, and the Sakura is at least five times better. Even though it costs twice as much, it's totally worth it. The Markals are very hard and tend to write to streaky and crack a little bit, but the Sakuras are soft and smooth. Imagine that the Markals are like a very hard crayon, whereas the Sakuras are like a soft oil pastel. It's like writing with chapstick, and it looks DOPE! Perfect for quick little tags.